A graft polymer of polysaccharides or polypeptides or its respective derivatives, obtainable by free radical polymerization of A) a monomer selected from or a monomer mixture of (a) from 20 to 100% by weight of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or of a mixture thereof or of the alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or ammonium salts thereof, (b) from 0 to 80% by weight of other monoethylenically unsaturated monomers which are copolymerizable with the monomers (a) and (c) from 0 to 5% by weight of monomers having at least 2 ethylenically unsaturated, nonconjugated double bonds in the molecule, in the presence of either B1) polysaccharides, oxidatively, hydrolytically or enzymatically degraded polysaccharides, oxidized hydrolytically degraded or oxidized enzymatically degraded polysaccharides, or such chemically modified degraded products, chemically modified mono-, oligo-or poly-saccharides or mixtures of the stated compounds and/or B2) polypeptides, their hydrolysates or enzymaticallydegraded and optionally chemically modified products or mixtures of the stated compounds in a weight ratio A: (B1 or B2) of from 1:99 to 18:82 or in a weight ratio A:(B1+B2) of from 60:40 to 1:99 and B1:B2 of from 97:3 to 3:97 used as tanning agents.

A method of preparing hydrophobicizing leather treatment compositions includes the steps of a) free-radically initiated copolymerization of i) at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or its derivatives, and ii) at least one (meth)acrylate of a primary saturated C.sub.8 to C.sub.22 alcohol, b) mixing the reaction mixture obtained after step a) with water, c) salting at least some of the carboxyl groups of the reaction mixture obtained after step b) with a base, and d) shearing the reaction mixture obtained after step c) to an average particle size of 0.05-10 μm,
wherein step a) is carried out in oil as reaction medium and wherein the atmosphere in step a) contains less than 0.1% by volume of an oxidizing gas.

A method of preparing hydrophobicizing leather treatment compositions includes the steps of a) free-radically initiated copolymerization of i) at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or its derivatives, and ii) at least one (meth)acrylate of a primary saturated C.sub.8 to C.sub.22 alcohol, b) mixing the reaction mixture obtained after step a) with water, c) salting at least some of the carboxyl groups of the reaction mixture obtained after step b) with a base, and d) shearing the reaction mixture obtained after step c) to an average particle size of 0.05-10 μm,
wherein step a) is carried out in oil as reaction medium and wherein the atmosphere in step a) contains less than 0.1% by volume of an oxidizing gas.

Provided is a composition for manufacturing leather comprising: hydroxide and borax (Na.sub.2B.sub.4O.sub.7•10H.sub.2O).

Provided is a composition for manufacturing leather comprising: hydroxide and borax (Na.sub.2B.sub.4O.sub.7•10H.sub.2O).

Provided is a method of manufacturing leather, comprising: preparing fabric including soaking, fleshing, liming, reliming, band knifing, deliming, and bating of natural leather; shaving the prepared fabric to a uniform thickness; neutralizing the shaved fabric to a pH of 5 to 7; flame retardant processing of performing a flame retardant treatment on the neutralized fabric with a composition for manufacturing leather; and drying the flame retardant treated fabric.

A process for tanning leathers including a pre-tanning step and a tanning step is provided. In the pre-tanning step leathers are treated with a cationic active agent including a quatemized ester of a fatty acid and triethanolamine, or mixtures thereof and, subsequently, with an anionic active agent including tannins vegetable extracts and a natural or synthetic dispersant selected from the group consisting of lignosulfonates, distillation stillages, sulfonated disulfonic polymers, sulfonated naphthalene polymers or mixtures thereof, to obtain leathers with a shrinkage temperature of at least 65° C. The pre-tanning and tanning steps do not include treatment with aldehydes or aldehyde donor compounds and/or with metal salts.

A process for tanning leathers including a pre-tanning step and a tanning step is provided. In the pre-tanning step leathers are treated with a cationic active agent including a quatemized ester of a fatty acid and triethanolamine, or mixtures thereof and, subsequently, with an anionic active agent including tannins vegetable extracts and a natural or synthetic dispersant selected from the group consisting of lignosulfonates, distillation stillages, sulfonated disulfonic polymers, sulfonated naphthalene polymers or mixtures thereof, to obtain leathers with a shrinkage temperature of at least 65° C. The pre-tanning and tanning steps do not include treatment with aldehydes or aldehyde donor compounds and/or with metal salts.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing leather, which not only significantly suppresses the occurrence of adhesive wrinkling and boarding/alighting wrinkling when used for an automobile seat, for example, but also exhibits appropriate flexibility.

The present invention is a method of manufacturing leather including a pretreatment step, a tanning step, a retanning step, and a drying and finishing step in this order, the retanning process including, in the following order, subjecting a shaving leather obtained from the tanning process to a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined retanning agent and a predetermined resin, a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined retanning agent, a predetermined resin, and a predetermined fatliquoring agent, and a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined resin and a predetermined fatliquoring agent, and the drying in the drying and finishing process including, in the following order, subjecting a leather obtained from the retanning process to a stage of drying under reduced pressure under predetermined conditions and a step of drying at atmospheric pressure under predetermined conditions.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing leather, which not only significantly suppresses the occurrence of adhesive wrinkling and boarding/alighting wrinkling when used for an automobile seat, for example, but also exhibits appropriate flexibility.

The present invention is a method of manufacturing leather including a pretreatment step, a tanning step, a retanning step, and a drying and finishing step in this order, the retanning process including, in the following order, subjecting a shaving leather obtained from the tanning process to a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined retanning agent and a predetermined resin, a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined retanning agent, a predetermined resin, and a predetermined fatliquoring agent, and a stage of performing treatment using a predetermined resin and a predetermined fatliquoring agent, and the drying in the drying and finishing process including, in the following order, subjecting a leather obtained from the retanning process to a stage of drying under reduced pressure under predetermined conditions and a step of drying at atmospheric pressure under predetermined conditions.